Snap fastener attachment for sewing machines



United States Patent 3,221,684 SNAP FASTENER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Angelo Micale, 995 Nassau St., North Brunswick, NJ. Filed Nov. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 323,646 3 Claims. (Cl. 112--114) This invention relates to an attachment for sewing machines, which attachment is adapted to hold snap fastener elements of various sizes while they are being sewed onto garments, and which, with a special sub-attachment, is adapted to hold a form of eye component of a hook and eye combination in which there is a shallow loop between the eyelets, and the plane of the loop being at right angles to the plane of the eyelets.

The drawings illustrate the invention, and in these:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of the device as held in a clamp partially shown;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are respectively bottom plan, front, and side views of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are respectively back, plan, front, left side and right side views of the left block which is one of two allochiral blocks which constitute the major portion or body of the device;

FIGS. 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are views of the right block and correspond respectively to FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9;

FIGS. 15, 16, 17 and 18 are respectively plan, front, back and side views of an attachment for the device adapted to hold a form of eye used in a hook and eye combination;

FIGS. 19 and 20 are respectively plan and end views of a pin used in the device; and

FIGS. 21 and 22 are respectively front elevational and plan views of an eye which is held in the device for sewing.

FIGS. 23 and 24 are respectively plan and end views of a set screw used in the device.

Referring to the drawings for a detailed description thereof, the numeral 25 indicates a known form of clamp which has spring-loaded arms 26 pulled toward each other. The arms enter spaces provided in the ends of the body of the device of the invention (FIGS. 3 and 4). The body of the device comprises a pair of allochiral left and right, connected halves or blocks 29 and 30 respectively. These blocks may contact each other or they may be spread apart a selected distance, and are then held so that they do not come closer to each other than the selected distance, so as to accommodate snap fasteners of different sizes. They are however spring-loaded so that as to be drawn toward each other, and so as to yield to outward or separating pressure. The blocks 29 and 30 are allochiral and each comprises (FIG. 3) an upper lateral extension 32 and a lower lateral extension 33 which is under the upper one and spaced therefrom. The arms 26 of clamp 25 enter the spaces between said upper and lower extensions and are locked therein by screws 35 which threadedly engage and pass through the upper extensions. The screws 35 have levers 35A extending laterally to facilitate tightening against the clamp arms 26. Each block also has a forward or front extension 37 at its lower portion, about at the level of its lower lateral extension 33, which forward extensions are narrower than the blocks so that there is always a space between them to accommodate a snap fastener. For the purpose of holding such a fastener, each front extension 37 has, in its inner side, a groove 39 extending rearwardly from its front surface, the two grooves receiving opposing lateral edges of a snap fastener. The blocks are pulled toward each other by a coiled spring 41 the ends of which are fastened to pins 42 which extend forwardly from the blocks and are in undercuts made in the blocks ice at their front faces. To hold the blocks in alignment during their lateral movements, a pair of parallel guide pins 45 and another pin 45A parallel therewith, are secured in block 30 and extend therefrom into block 29, in which latter block they slide freely. The guide pin 45A (FIGS. 19 and 20) has a threaded portion 458 and a reduced plain portion 45C, of which 4513 is threaded into block 30 and 45C slides in block 29. When snap fasteners of a given size are to be put into the device for sewing, the threaded pin 45A is turned until the blocks are separated so that the fastener-receiving grooves 39, in the forward extensions 37, are apart a distance slightly less than the width of the fastener, the shoulder between portions 45B and 45C of pin 45A bearing always against block 29 to hold the blocks apart. The threaded pin 45A gives a fine adjustment. To securely lock the pin 45A in place, against vibration of the machine, a set screw 47 enters the back of block 30 and presses against pin 45A.

The side edges of snap fasteners are chamfered, so that when put into grooves 39, they spread slightly the blocks 29 and 39 against the action of the spring 41, and when in, are held in sewing position by the spring-loaded blocks.

The drawings show a removable attachment for the device so far described. To feed snap fasteners into the device, this attachment is removed. It is provided for the purpose of holding a particular known form of eye for a hook and eye combination. This form of eye is shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, and has a shallow loop 61 between its eyelets 63, the plane of the loop being at right angles to the plane of its eyelets, as distinguished from the more common form of eye, in which the loop and its eyelets are coplanar. The form of eye which may be held for machine sewing in the present device has heretofore had to be sewed by hand.

The mentioned attachment for holding the particular form of eye is shown in FIGS. 14 and FIGS. 15, 16 and 17, and it comprises a small block 50, disposed between the front portions of the forward extensions 37 of blocks 29 and 30. The block 50 has a vertical groove 52 cut upwardly from its bottom and extends from front to back, and receives, with little pressure, the shallow loop of the eye shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the convex side of the loop being up. The eyelets of this eye extend in front and in back of block 50 and are in position to be sewed. The block 50 is held in position by a plate 54, integral therewith, the end portions of which plate rest on the forward extensions 37. This plate has end portions 55 connected by a bridge 57 under which bridge the block 50 is positioned. The end portions 55 have slots 58 and through these slots screws 59 pass and threadedly engage the said forward extensions, and are tightened against the plate, whereby the block 50 may be moved forwardly and backwardly relative to the machine needle and relative to the size of the eye.

What is claimed is:

1. A sewing machine attachment, comprising a pair of laterally movable coacting blocks, mounting means for individually mounting said blocks on a sewing machine, spring means mounted to pull the blocks together, said blocks having spaced front extensions adjacent the bottom thereof, said forward extensions having opposed surfaces for holding a snap fastener at its opposed lateral edges, each of said blocks being relatively independently movable with respect to the other, parallel guide means for said blocks operative to allow only linear movement between said blocks, and spacing means on said attachment for holding said blocks at a selected distance apart whereby when a snap fastener is pressed between said front extension opposed surfaces, said blocks will move equally apart from one another.

2. A sewing machine attachment, comprising a pair of laterally movable coacting blocks, mounting means for individually mounting said blocks on a sewing machine, a spring connected between said blocks tending to pull the blocks together, said blocks having spaced front extensions adjacent the bottom thereof, said extensions having opposed surfaces for holding a snap fastener at its oppposed lateral edges, each of said blocks being relatively independently movable with respect to the other parallel guide means for said blocks operative to allow only linear movement between said blocks and spacing means on said attachment for holding said blocks at a selected distance apart, said mounting means including a clamp having a pair of spring loaded, outwardly yieldable arms which engage said pair of blocks to hold said device and to respond to the lateral movements of said blocks, whereby when a snap fastener is pressed between said front extension opposed surfaces, said blocks will move equally apart from one another.

3. A sewing machine attachment, comprising a pair of laterally movable coacting blocks, mounting means for mounting said blocks on a sewing machine, spring means mounted between said blocks tending to pull the blocks together, said blocks having spaced front extensions adjacent the bottom thereof, parallel guide means secured on said blocks for guiding said blocks for sliding movement toward and away from each other, spacing means for holding said blocks at a selected distance apart, an eye block attachment, said eye block attachment having a vertical groove extending upwardly from its bottom surface to receive a shallow loop of an eye, said eye block attachment being disposed between front extensions and adjustably supported thereon for forward and backward adjustment, and means for holding said eye block attachment in a desired position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 750,648 1/1904 Hogan 112111 1,045,745 11/1912 Raes 112114 X 1,137,122 4/1915 Dasher 112105 1,786,354 12/1930 Lohman 112107 2,726,613 12/1955 Eddy 112114 2,753,822 7/1956 Nessle 1121 14 2,875,715 3/1959 Reece 1121 14 2,962,990 12/1960 Manganiello 1121 14 3,151,585 10/1964 KOSChOff et a1. 112107 3,163,135 12/1964 Krell 112-1l4 FOREIGN PATENTS 322,592 8/ 1957 Switzerland.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. V. LARKIN, M. J. COLITZ, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT, COMPRISING A PAIR OF LATERALLY MOVABLE COACTING BLOCKS, MOUNTING MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY MOUNTING SAID BLOCKS ON A SEWING MACHINE, SPRING MEANS MOUNTED TO PULL THE BLOCKS TOGETHER, SAID BLOCKS HAVING SPACED FRONT EXTENSIONS ADJACENT THE BOTTOM THEREOF, SAID FORWARD EXTENSIONS HAVING OPPOSED SURFACES FOR HOLDING A SNAP FASTENER AT ITS OPPOSED LATERAL EDGES, EACH OF SAID BLOCKS BEING RELATIVELY INDEPENDENTLY MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER, PARALLEL GUIDE MEANS FOR SAID BLOCKS OPERATIVE TO ALLOW ONLY LINEAR MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID BLOCKS, AND SPACING MEANS ON SAID ATTACHMENT FOR HOLDING SAID BLOCKS AT A SELECTED DISTANCE APART WHEREBY WHEN A SNAP FASTENER IS PRESSED BETWEEN SAID FRONT EXTENSION OPPOSED SURFACES, SAID BLOCKS WILL MOVE EQUALLY APART FROM ONE ANOTHER. 